While the art in this manga is acceptable, the story telling is really lacking. Everything's a rush, characters are unlikeable, and the tone of the stories shows a lot disdain for the female leads. Admittedly, the female leads here are of the passive, marginally intelligent, low ambition type so they weren't my favorites, either. There's no emotional connection between characters, so there's a clinical, detached quality to the 'romances.' This one feels more like you'd see in 'blue films' written for inexperienced young men, and I can'tsay I'd recommend this to anyone who wants more than a very quick tickle.

I'm going to go against the grain here, but the early parts of this story do have clear non/dubcon scenes coupled with the deception of the male lead. Certainly, there are worse stories out there but lies and dubcon coupled with the overall slapstick shojo comedy tones is weird. Is the male lead just a liar to save the female lead's brittle ego? Pretty sure what's making her feel insecure and freaked out is the fact that he won't be honest about his feelings, yet he gets sexually aggressive without any preamble. All that makes the absolutely top notch artwork feel like a waste. Make no mistake, the characters are all expressive and attractive, with flashbacks showing the leads as some of the cutest kids I've seen in manga.

Here are three cute stories with an overall theme of not judging or making conclusions based on appearances. The smutty parts aren't particularly steamy, but since the main characters are in their teens, it fits the tone. There's nothing exciting or new, but there's nothing bad either; the art is about average as well.

Do you find the manga heroines who can't tell the difference between being kind and being a doormat to be irritating? The male lead in this one sure does! He likes the female lead, but the way she lets her "friends" take advantage of her and her self-serving martyrdom really piss him off. He's absolutely not willing to let her put up with it, and it's the main conflict in this story. The spotlight here is on the male lead and his attempt to get our heroine to grow up a little. She's a typical romance manga heroine, and I couldn't see why he was attracted to her at all. I get the feeling the writer couldn't figure it out either, which is why this charming story flops at the end. It may also be why our hero seems drawn with care but the drawing of the heroine lacks refinement. Summary: Enjoyable read with a very handsome male lead that is marred by the ending.

To quote Adele, "Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." This story is about two teens who begin a romance at a time when they are struggling with issues of loss and loneliness, and they offer each other an escape from the complicated situations they are going through. Their connection may be love, but it's hard to untangle as life circumstances pull them apart. A chance (?) meeting years later gives them an opportunity to examine their feelings after they've matured. As usual, this author shows nuance in her depictions of love, far beyond the one dimensional characters and tropes that flood the genre. The clean, expressive lines of her art effectively highlight the characters' growth from teen to adult, and it's difficult not to empathize with them. Sometimes you get another chance in love.

As a general rule, I don't care for the amnesia plot element: it seems gimmicky and has dubcon built right in there. Amnesia is used to kick off the story here, and while the presentation isn't exceptionally good, it works better than some. The art is great, and you can practically see the light glitter in the male lead's puppy dog eyes when he's desperate. It's the puppy dog eyes that hooked me on the story, though the quantity of hot, steamy sex didn't hurt. There's a strange subplot with a love rival that seems pointless as the main relationship brings enough drama to the table, but the main characters aare generally likeable if you get past the manipulative elements inherent in the amnesia situation. The story wraps up tidily, the art is good, and it's an enjoyable read. You might want to turn the AC on for this one, though. Whew!

I'd rate this at a 3.5, and giving a hair more because sone of the artwork is cute, The heroine is immature, impulsive, and fixated on an ideal love from her past, which makes her annoying a lot of the time. Still, she is emotionally honest and learns to deal with complex ideas regarding love. She's an innocent romantic learns that you can love more than one person in your life. She also learns that emotional attraction and physical atteaction can be experienced separately and still be OK, and that love can blossom from a physical attraction. The heroine is honest with herself that she is sexually attracted to the male character, and also that she does have her own sexual desires. She even learns to satisfy herself! The sex throughout runs on the dubcon side, so this is a sexual fantasy where a man "awakens" female desire.

Very sweet story about childhood friends, their shared passion for baseball, and how they came to be lovers The smut level is relatively low, but it starts with a little tease and builds. Even though you know how it's going to end up, there's a love triangle and a pace that seems very real. Character growth is well written, with playing baseball being the analogy for the changes that occur from childhood through young adulthood. What's great here is that both leads are hardworking and successful at their sport, and they have lives and goals that exist outside of their relationship with each other. The story seems a bit short for 300 coins, and the omniscient outside party who ends up explaining everything in a voicemail was unnecessary.

Well written romance here, with a woman trying to balance her desires with the need to find security in a long term relationship. The heroine here is a deeply passionate woman who is involved with a gentle, steady man. At the same time, she indulges her desires in secret online in secret, because she is willing to trade emotional fulfillment for stability and security. Then she meets a man who sets fire to her body and heart, but offers none of that security. The story is written with nuance and the focus is on the heroine's internal growth and not on external drama. The art is a big clunky, especially in body shots, but still appealing. Unusual for a lot of manga, the male lead looks manly, with features and body that are hearty. This an adult romance where compromise can bring security, but taking a leap off the expected path can give life richness and satisfaction.

This one will give you whiplash if you're not careful. It starts out with a dark, degrading tone, into farce, back to dark, into farce again, and ends up as a weird buddy comedy. By the end, the two boys who started out abusive end up as goofy pals, and then they embark on a group adventure. What?! Still, when the story hits, it works well. There are some lines of dialog the show markedly stronger writing than most other manga. The art is great, with subtle cues and nods to character tropes. The hero looks determinedly decent and heroic, sexy, and boyish all at once. The villains look like stereotypical villains, but with enough nuance and humor to show satire. The heroine is gorgeous, even when she dresses down, and plays some disparate roles without losing herself. It's a mixed bag. The tone is odd at times, but I am glad I pushed through.